River Rising
by Kari Jo
Summary: Storm and Logan have a talk about why they do what they do. Movieverse.


TITLE: River Rising   
AUTHOR: Kari Jo   
EMAIL: holly@members.limitless.org   
RATING: PG [L]   
SETTING: Post-Movie   
CATEGORY: Movieverse, Logan, Ororo, Xavier   
ARCHIVE: Lists, my site (http://www.limitless.org/~holly/), others just ask   
FEEDBACK: Please! holly@members.limitless.org   
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is just a short little story to cure my writer's block. Yes, it is finished; no there is not a sequel; no it has not been beta'd. All the mistakes are mine. Also, I like the fact that the comic Storm has blue eyes, so my movie-verse storm has blue eyes, even though Halle Berry does not.   
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Marvel, Fox, and Bryan Singer do. The evil plot bunny is all mine, though.   


* * *

  
Logan looked out the window at the pouring rain. The X-men were seated comfortably in the living room, sharing hot drinks and stories. The only one missing from their little party was Storm. The Wolverine wondered where she was and why she was out in the rain. 

*She often goes out to clear her thoughts,* the Professor announced quietly in his head. *The rain makes her feel better. She needs to be around something she can control every once in a while.* 

Logan nodded, and slipped silently out of the room. *She is by the brook on the north side of the grounds,* Charles directed. Logan grabbed his jacket and put it on before stepping outside into the rain-shower. 

The professor needn't have told him where to find Ororo; her scent was still strong here, despite the rain. Logan quickly followed her trail to the northeast corner of the property. The weather goddess stood on the bank of the swollen brook. She did not turn as Logan approached, nor did she acknowledge him in any way. He stood next to her, watching the muddy waters churn just inches from his feet. 

The two stood in companionable silence for a while, before Ororo spoke. "Logan, have you decided whether or not to stay?" 

He shook his head. "No, not really. I still don't know why I should. Why should I risk my life for people who want to kill me?" It was an old argument, and he didn't put his usual zeal into it. 

Ororo looked at him, her blue eyes staring deeply into his brown ones. She then looked to the other side of the small creek. "Water can do many amazing things, but it is slow, so very slow. It may take millions of years to form a cave, but the many wonders held therein cannot be created by anything else." She looked back at him to make sure he was listening. "Most of the things water does cannot be noticed in one lifetime, or even two, but generations of people look upon its miracles in wonder." She motioned once again to the swirling water at their feet. "We are the water, Logan." 

Logan looked at her, confused. She continued as the rain slacked off to a soft drizzle. "When I came here, this bank was not here. The trees behind you were the bank of the creek. We would be standing in water. But, over time, with many rains and floods, the other bank has grown smaller, and this one has grown larger. The brook has changed its course." A few pebbles fell from the cliff-like opposite shore. They dropped into the water with a sound like glass breaking. 

Ororo smiled. "Listen to that, Logan. That is what we do. We drop the pebbles off the shore of hatred and they come to the side of tolerance and build it up. Do you see now? The hate that is in many people's hearts cannot be erased in one lifetime. It will take many, many years of work before mutants are truly accepted. This is what we do. We must work now, so our children, and our children's children will be recognized as people. 

"Thomas Paine wrote, 'Let war come in my lifetime, so my children may have peace.' I would rather sacrifice my life, than that of my children, or grandchildren." Ororo spoke passionately, and Logan knew she believed every word she uttered. "We do not do this for us, we do this for the next generation of mutants. They are the ones who we are willing to sacrifice everything for." 

She looked at him pleadingly. "Logan, we do not work to further our own interests, but those of future generations. I know you have been looking out for no one but yourself for as long as you can remember, but we need you. We need you to look out for us now. Please, stay." 

Logan was stunned by her sincerity and conviction. What she said made perfect sense, but the Wolverine looked out for number one. Why should he want to risk his life for some damn kids? A niggling voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he already HAD risked his life for a kid. 'And it almost got me killed, twice!' he thought. But even after the first time he touched Rogue, he was still willing to give her his life again. 

Ororo patted his soaking wet jacket with her bare hand. He had nearly forgotten it had been raining, her speech had so captivated him. "If you go, we will not blame you. It is hard to reverse nearly twenty years of self-preservation in a few months. But someday, you will have something worth protecting, and I hope that by then, you will realize what we are doing." 

She walked up the slight incline, away from the creek, leaving Logan and the war raging in him. The sun slowly peeked from behind the clouds as he returned to the mansion. 

It took him all of two minutes to find Ororo. She was up in her room, lounging on the window seat. The tropical plants around him assaulted him with colors and fragrances. She turned and smiled at him. "Have you made a decision?" 

He nodded. 

FIN. 

FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is all I will write of this story. I'm sorry if you want to know what he said, but you have an imagination, right? n.n The quote is from Paine's 'Crises #1' and it may be wrong. 

[People Like Us - Kari Jo's XMMFF Site][1]

   [1]: http://www.limitless.org/~holly/xmen/



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